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Movie Review - Gemini Man
Exciting fast-paced action flick with Will Smith playing two roles at different ages. Simultaneously. Really.
Gemini Man ***½ (out of 5) (PG-13) Are you one of Will Smith’s zillion fans? How about a sci-fi action flick with two of him pitted against each other? If that seems appealing, the reality of the product will at least satisfy your tastes, and more likely delight you. Smith stars as a 51-year-old sniper for US covert agencies who has long been the best in the game. But as the film opens with a spectacular hit, Smith is feeling burned out and on the skill decline, so he decides to retire. Unfortunately, he learns a bit too much, so some of the honchos can’t allow him to live, even though his years in the biz have made him a hard target to hit. The rest of the film is about survival and stopping the threat to himself and beyond. That includes facing a 23-year-old version of himself who has been convinced that Old Will is the bad guy. Of course, he isn’t. He’s Will F------g Smith!!
(The preceding sentence would be a spoiler if the pre-opening publicity tour - as well as the title - hadn’t already revealed that part of the premise.)
Director Ang Lee delivers state-of-the-art action sequences, including the use of digital imaging, old photos and a stunt double to create the two ages of Smith that must face each other in many scenes. Mary Elizabeth Winstead remains suitably enigmatic for much of the film as a sidekick with uncertain allegiances, helping to sustain the suspense in a story that generally follows genre formula. Clive Owen plays the bad guy without overacting or yielding to caricature for this archetypal kind of character.
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But no one should go hoping for an intricate of profound plot, anyway. It’s all about the tech side, with Lee’s use of new means for crafting the younger Smith, and shooting the film in a higher-definition 3-D medium than US screens currently support. So watch it now for one more-than-adequate level of excitement. Remember how it registered. Then go for the inevitable re-issue when film projectors have been upgraded enough to show the full glory of immersion that Lee intended. Fans of Smith and action flicks will be pleased with both viewings. (10/11/19)